Fruit-picker.



L..H. SWAN.

FRUIT PIGKER.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 6.

f Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wnsnmarzm. o. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN H. SWAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-PICKER.

Application filed July 6, 1908. Serial No. 442,193.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LYMAN H. SWAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Fruit-Picker, of which thefollowing is a specification. V

This invention relates to fruit pickers and has for its object to enablefruit to be picked while the operator stands on the ground, means beingprovided for preventing fruit which is picked from falling to the groundby conducting the fruit after it is picked into a receptacle whichformsa part of the fruit picker. After an amount offruit has accumulatedin the said receptacle it maybe dischargedfrom crate.

Fruit pickers have heretofore been devised which required that thecutter be exactly positioned with respect to the fruit and such carefulmanipulation requires considerable time.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fruit pickerwhich has a plurality of cutting devices or knives which are distributedso as to have a considerable compass so that the fruit picker does nothave to e Iplllaced in any one particular position in pic g a piece offruit, thereby greatly economizing time, which is of prime importancethe receptacle into the box or p in fruit gathering.

Referring to the drawin s Figure 1 is a side elevation of the completedevice contracted in length showing the manner in which it is held bythe operator. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, being a front elevation of theupper portion of the device. In this View a piece of fruit is shown toillustrate the relative position of the device to the fruit when inposition for picking it. Fig.3 is a side elevation on the same scale asFig. 2 of the upper portion of the device, the greater part of the bagbeing removed. Fig. 4 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of aportion of the cutting knife to illustrate one of the guiding devicestherefor. v

The fruit picker comprises a pole 1 having a tapered upper end2 which isreceived in a socket formed of wires 3 and 4. Asshown v in Fig. 2 thereare two wires 3, and as shown in Fig. 1 there are two wires 4. All ofthe wires 3 and 4 have eyes 5 at their lower ends through which a ring 6passes, the latter serving to unite the wires and cause them to firmlyclasp the pole 1. At the upperend of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

the pole'l is a ring 7 arranged inside of the wires 3 and 4 and fastenedto the wires by tie wires 8. The wires 3, as shown in Fig. 2, extendabove the pole 1 and converge as do the wires-4, the four Wires'3 and 4being tied together at a point by a tie wire 9 which is wound, withseveral turns around them. Above the binding wire 9 the two Wires 3 areformed in a circle thus producing a wire ring 10. The wires 4 are bentor coiled to form a series of wire teeth 11, see Fig. 3. There is thusformed a circular band of wire teeth 11, which is substantiallyconcentric to the wire ring 10, and the wire forming the teeth 11 issecured to the ring 10 by the fastening Wire 12, which is wound aroundthe ring 10 and around the inner loops of teeth 11 as shown in Figs. 2and 3. The circular band of teeth 11 is slightly dished. In other wordseach tooth 11 is bent slightly outward so that the outer circumferenceof the band of teeth 1 1 is slightly greater than theinner circumferenceof the band of teeth which lies next the rin 10. For example, as shownin Fig. 3, it wi be observed that the upper and lower teeth in thispicker both have their outer ends bent outwardly.

Encircling the band of teeth 11 adjacent the ring 10 is a metal hoop 13,which hoop as shown in Fig. 3 covers the ring 10 and is of such widththat it extends part Way of the length of each tooth 11. The hoop 13 isdivided at its lower portion to receive the two wires 3, the latterpassing to the inner side of the hoop and lying against the innerfacethereof. Between thehoop 13 and the ring 10 is secured the upper edge ofa bag 14, the latter being of a length suflicient to reach substantiallyto the bottom of the pole 1 and being of a size to enable the fruit toreadily pass through it, and the bag 14 is adapted to act not only as aconductor to guide the fruit from the picking device but to also act asa temporary receptacle for the fruit. The lower end 15 of the bag 14 isopen, as shown in Fig. 1, but fruit is held from escaping by theoperators hand which holds the lower end of the bag tight against thepole and thus prevents fruit escaping from the bag until teeth 11 asindicated in Fig. 3. The cutting knife 16 is adapted to slide on theband 13 and is guided against lateral displacement by slots 18 throughwhich rivets 19 project, the latter being secured to the band 13.Secured to one end of the cutting knife 16 is a coil spring 20, thelower end of the spring 20 being attached to one of the binding wires 8.Adjacent to the other end of the cutting knife 16 is a cord 21 whichpasses through an eye 22 on the pole 1 and extends down alongside thepole 1 so as to be within convenient reach of the hand of the operator.The cutting teeth extend substantially perpendicular to the plane of thecircle of movement of the knife and this plane is substantially parallelto the supporting pole.

By pulling 011 the cord 21 the cutting knife is caused to slidecircularly over the band 13 so that the teeth 17 are moved into oracross the spaces between the wire teeth 11 and upon releasing the cord21 the spring 20 contracts and restores the cutting knife to its normalposition with the teeth 17 again in register with the wire teeth 11.

In use the device is held as indicated in Fig. 1, and the open mouth ofthe device is applied so as to partially receive the piece of fruit tobe picked and the stem of the fruit is received betweenany of the wireteeth 1 1 according to the relative position of the fruit with respectto the picker. Obviously it is not necessary that the picker be guidedtoany particular point to cause the stem of the fruit to be receivedbetween any particular teeth. The operator then pulls the cord 21 whichslides the cutting knife 16 and the tooth of the cutting knife which isadjacent the stem of the fruit slides forward and severs the stem,whereupon the fruit rolls down into the bag 14 and is arrested in thelower end thereof as indicated in Fig. 1. After a sufficient quantityhas accumulated in the lower end of the bag the operator will carry thebag to the crate or box and release his hand from the bag, whereupon thefruit within the bag will roll out through the open lower end of the baginto the box or crate.

What I claim is 1. A fruit picker comprising a wire bent to form teetharound the circumference of a circle, a flexible cutting knifeconcentric with said wire and formed with cutting teeth, a polesupporting said wire and knife, a cord adjacent to one end of theknifefor sliding it, and a spring connected to the other end of the knife forrestoring the knife, the teeth of said knife being substan tiallyperpendicular to the plane of the circle in which the knife moves andsaid plane being substantially parallel to the supporting pole.

2. A fruit picker comprising a wire bent to form teeth around thecircumference of a circle, a flexible cutting knife concentric with saidwire and formed with cutting teeth, a pole supporting said wire andknife, a cord adjacent to one end of the knife for sliding it, a springconnected to the other end of the knife for restoring the knife, and abag having its upper end held open ad j acent said knife and -\iire toreceive the fruit, the teeth of said knife being substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the circle in which the knife moves andsaid plane being substantially parallel to the supporting pole.

3. A fruit picker comprising a wire bent to form teeth around thecircuinferein-o of a circle, a flexible cutting knife concentric withsaid wire and formed \'-.ith cutting teeth, a pole supporting said wireand. knife, a cord adjacent to one end of the knife for sliding it, aspring connected to the other end of the knife for restoring the knife,and a bag having its upper end held open adjacent said knife and wire toreceive the fruit the lower end of said bag being open, the teeth ofsaid knife being substantially perpendicu lar to the plane of the circlein which the knife moves and said plane being substantially parallel tothe supporting pole.

4. A fruit picker comprising a wire bent to form teeth around thecircumference of a circle, a flexible cutting knife concentric with saidwire and formed with cutting teeth, a pole supporting said wire andknife, a cord adjacent to one end of the knife for sliding it, a springconnected to the other end of the knife for restoring the knife, and ahoop at the base of said cutting teeth and partially supporting saidknife.

5. A fruit picker comprising a wire bent to form teeth around thecircumference of a circle, a flexible cutting knife concentric with saidwire and formed with cutting teeth, a pole supporting said wire andknife, a

cord adjacent to one end of the knife for sliding it, a spring connectedto the other end of the knife for restoring the knife, a hoop at thebase of said cutting teeth and partially supporting said knife, saidknife having slots, and studs projecting from said hoop through saidslots for guiding the knife.

6. A fruit picker comprising a pole, a wire bent to form a ring abovethe pole, the lower ends of said wire extending along the pole and beingsecured thereto, another wire bent to form a ring concentric "with thefirst ring and being bent laterally to form Wire teeth, the lattertoothed wire being secured to the first wire, the lower ends of thesecond wire extending along the upper end of the pole and being secured.thereto, a hoop around the first wire and extending partially over theteeth of the second wire, a flexible metallic cutting knife slidable onsaid hoop, said knife being formed. with teeth which substantiallyregister with the wire teeth when the knife is in normal restoring theknife to normal position.

7. A fruit picker comprising a pole, a Wire bent to form a ring abovethe pole, the loWer ends of said Wire extending along the pole and beingsecured thereto, another Wire bent to form a ring concentric With thefirst ring and being bent laterally Wire teeth, the latter toothed Wirebeing secured to the first Wire, the lower ends of the second Wireextending along the upper hoop around the first Wire and extendingpartially over the teeth of the second Wire, a flexible metallic cuttingknife slidable on said hoop said knife being formed With teeth whichsubstantially register With the 'WIIQS to an intermediate Wire teethwhen the knife is in normal position, a cord secured to one end of saidknife for sliding it in one direction said cord extending along thepole, a spring cured to the other end of said knife for restoring theknife to normal position, a ring securing the lower ends of both saidpart of the pole, and another Wire ring located at the end of the poleand securing said together, said Wires being together by a Wire Windingthe ring. 1

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 80th day of June 1908.

LYMAN H. SWAN. In presence of- 7 G. T. HAcKLEY, t; FRANK L. A. GRAHAM.

Wires further secured located close to upper

